Jughead is watching a monster movie with his friends at the Babylonium. As they leave the theater, the scene turns black and white. A "melting man" heads toward the group, but Sheriff Keller shoots him dead.

Jughead visits Dr. Curdle Jr. for more information on what caused the melting man. Curdle thinks it's radiation contamination. Curdle reveals the man worked as an employee at the Blossom's maple factory.

Sheriff Keller and Mayor Blossom whisked the body away before Jughead could see it.

Betty plans to take her driving lesson with Ethel.

Reggie reveals that he's heading to summer camp for basketball. Uncle Frank chastises Archie for focusing on his poetry and quitting the team. He makes fun of Archie for potentially working at his mother's dress shop.

The episode changes from color to black and white as the teens enter their individual stories.

Clifford Blossom shows Julian and Cheryl a statue of Moloch, a demon who needs child sacrifices.

Ethel tells Jughead that her father was experiencing pain in the days leading up to his death. Jughead thinks there's a connection between the melting pain, Mr. Rayberry, and the other recent deaths because they all worked at the Blossom Maple Factory.

Ethel wants to put the past behind her. She's planning to take her driver's license test and she's dating Ben Button.

The teacher has the class watch a video on protecting themselves against atomic bombs. After the video, the group talks about if Riverdale was hit by an atomic bomb. The group discusses their protection and escape tactics if a bomb hits town; Cheryl would hide in the Blossom mines, and some would leave town.

The group wonders if an atomic bomb would be landed in a small town like Riverdale.

Archie helps Kevin with learning how to tie a knot. Clay and Kevin tell Archie that they're considering joining the Merchant Marines. Archie is interested in the idea.

Mrs. Grundy teaches the girls a class about driving.

Archie tells his mother, Reggie, and Uncle Frank about him considering joining the Merchant Marines. Frank makes a snide comment, but Archie snaps on back at him.

Dilton Doily shows Jughead the bunker that his father built. Dilton shows Jughead a piece of Palladium that Ethel's father found in the mines a year earlier. Dilton reveals that Clifford Blossom is sitting on a pile of Palladium; his father created a bunker as a protection method.

Palladium is a valuable mineral. In its volatile state, Palladium could cause a massive detonation and explosive. Jughead theorizes that Mr. Rayberry discovered a secret about the Palladium and Clifford Blossom, which inspired him to write a story.

Cheryl has a nightmare about an atomic explosion in school. She wakes up and overhears her parents talking in Russian; they're plotting something and working toward getting honored by their government.

Archie attends the Merchant Marine session. The leader states that not everyone is guaranteed a spot and that they won't be exploring the locations they travel.

Jughead speaks with Cheryl about the Blossom mines. Cheryl reveals what she overheard in Russian; Jughead asks her to explore the mines.

All of the girls pass their school lessons for the driving test; Mrs. Grundy will take them all to the DMV later in the week. She asks them to bring their birth certificates, but Ethel looks upset.

Archie is working out and Uncle Frank speaks with him about the future. Frank tells Archie that his father voluntarily signed up to join the army; he pushes Archie to sign up to join the army.

Cheryl sneaks into her father's office to do some snooping. She finds a miner's helmet in one of the drawers. After hearing a breeze, Cheryl discovers a secret room behind one of the paintings.

Cheryl discovers a room filled with milkman outfits and empty bottles.

Archie is wearing the dog tags; he wants to speak with his mother.

Ethel doesn't have her birth certificate because it's at her parent's house. Betty says she'll head to the house to grab it for her.

Cheryl shows Jughead the milkman bottles; she confirms that the mines are filled with Palladium. She tells Jughead to meet her at night.

Betty enters Ethel's old house looking for the birth certificate. She picklocks her way into box and discovers receipts of her dad making payments to Ethel's parents. She finds a photo of Hal holding a photo of a baby.

Mary chastises Frank for pushing Archie to join the army. Mary tells Frank to move out of the house and she tells him that Archie will be the only one who will decide his future.

Betty confronts her parents about the payments to the Muggs family. Hal tries to lie, but Alice says it's time for Betty to learn the truth. Alice reveals that Hal and Ethel's mother got into an affair when she started cleaning the house. Alice said she stayed with Hal, and both Alice and Hal made an agreement with the Muggs family to financially support Ethel until she was 16. Alice tried to protect her family's image. Betty deduces that Alice panicked and didn't want the same thing to happen to Betty that happened to her.

Alice apologizes to Betty; Betty forgives her. Betty says it's time that Ethel knows the truth.

Jughead and Cheryl sneak into the mines to take photos.

Alice and Hal offer to officially adopt Ethel, but she rejects their offer. Ethel says she just wants to be happy, move on with her life, and start over.

Frank moves out of the Andrews's house.

Cheryl and Jones process the photos; Jughead is reluctant to tell Sheriff Keller. He's having Veronica reach out to her FBI contacts for help.

The FBI comes to arrest Clifford and Penelope; they've come to shut them down. "Project Moloch" was to start the next arm's race and stop them from spreading dangerous weaponry. Jughead reveals the Blossoms sent out the killer milkman to silence anyone who found out about the Palladium and what Clifford Blossom was doing.

Ethel decides to leave Riverdale and move to Hollywood. Veronica helped get her set up with a place to live and a job. Ethel leaves with Ben.